1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is concerned with convenience devices for people who have physical conditions which make using conventional toilet facilities difficult. More particularly, the present invention is concerned with apparatuses which assist a patient in standing after using a toilet. Still more particularly, the present invention is concerned with apparatuses which wash the lower parts of the body after use of a toilet. Finally, and most particularly, the present invention is concerned with apparatuses which wash and dry the lower parts of the body after toilet use and thereafter raise the user to a partially standing position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many devices have been developed to aid the infirm, elderly, or physically handicapped in using restroom facilities. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,309,583 to White, et al. discloses a powered lift toilet seat which can be used to assist a person in being raised and lowered relative to a toilet bowl. However, raising and lowering a person relative to a toilet bowl addresses only one problem that many users of such a device possess. Often, these people are also unable to properly clean the genital areas after using a toilet. Toilets including a spray device operable for providing a cleansing wash to the genital area after toilet use are stationary in nature, and therefore are susceptible to soiling by the person using the toilet due to their location within the toilet bowl. Thus, these devices often spray a person with water containing waste prior to performing any cleansing duties. Accordingly, if these devices are not used for a long enough period of time, waste may remain on the user despite use of the spraying device. Another commonly encountered problem is that of the water remaining on a person after using such a spray device. This water can then be absorbed by clothing surrounding the area, thereby providing a potentially embarrassing situation. This remaining water also provides a moist environment conducive to bacterial and fungal growth. This problem has been dealt with by employing a blower which serves to dry the areas of the body which have been washed by the spray nozzle. However, no prior art device has incorporated a lifting apparatus along with a washing and drying device.
Accordingly, what is needed in the art is toilet seat which can be raised and lowered to accommodate individuals who have trouble sitting or standing. What is further needed is such a device wherein a person may be washed and dried after using the toilet. What is still further needed is such a device wherein the apparatuses which perform the washing and drying functions are located such that they are not soilable by the human waste of the person using the toilet. Finally what is needed is such a device wherein the washing mechanism is shiftable between a stored position which is away from waste being expelled and can thereafter be moved to a functional position wherein the washing mechanism is positioned to provide an optimal wash. Such devices will also be enhanced by the shiftability of the nozzle providing the wash whereby the nozzle can be moved laterally to provide a more thorough wash laterally and can be moved in a forward and backward motion to provide a more thorough wash anteriorly and posteriorly.
The present invention overcomes the problems inherent in the prior art and provides a distinct advance in the state of the art. The lift of the present invention therefore provides an apparatus which performs raising and lowering functions, cleansing functions, and drying functions. Advantageously, the raising and lowering functions is accomplished such that the seat is gently raised and tilted forward and the washing functions provided by the present invention provide a more thorough wash to body parts than was heretofore afforded by the prior art.
The invention preferably comprises a tubular frame which includes a U-shaped bracket forming each side of the lift and an interconnecting brace spanning between the two U-shaped brackets. The tubular frame is preferably metal but can be constructed using wood or polymeric materials. The two U-shaped brackets provide a total of four legs, one at each corner of the lift and each leg preferably includes an adjustable foot extending therefrom. The feet are capable of height adjustment and leveling in a conventional manner such as is used on ordinary household appliances (e.g., washing machines). The frame is adapted to overlie a conventional toilet basin and preferably includes a box-like housing surrounding the frame. In one embodiment of the present invention, the hosing includes three stationary sides and a seat platform which raises and lowers with the seat. In another embodiment, the lifting assemblies raise the entire housing when the lift is activated. This housing is adapted to permit decoration by painting or the like and is formed of a resin-like material or wood.
Connected to the frame is an electric motor coupled with an actuator having a push rod which is extendible therefrom. The motor is electrically connected to a control box located on the frame itself, or the housing when one is provided. Preferably the control box is located on the seat platform in an ergonomically correct position. The control box includes at least one lift switch which serves to activate the motor. In one preferred embodiment, the lift is provided with two switches which serve to operate the lifting assemblies and must both be activated for the lift to operate. To help prevent shock, a transformer is used to change the 120V current to 24V direct current.
The push rod is connected to a yoke at the extending end. This yoke is further attached to a pair of depending plates or drive bars at their proximal ends. This attachment is through a pin which permits rotational movement between the yoke and the drive bars. Preferably, this rotational movement is permitted through the use of bushings which are preferably brass in construction. Secured, preferably by welding, to the distal end of the drive bar pair is crossbar having a pair of opposed ends with the drive bar pair located proximal to the first end thereof. This crossbar is provided with rotational movement when the actuator is activated and the push rod is extended or retracted due to its secure attachment to the drive bar pair. The crossbar further attaches to a plate at each end where it is free to rotate within a complementarily configured bore. Each plate is attached to a corresponding front leg of the frame and further includes a support tube connected thereto through a pair of pins. Each end of the crossbar is also attached to a support brace for a lift assembly.
The lift is provided with a pair of lift assemblies, with each U-shaped frame member being attached to one lift assembly. The lift assemblies include a trio of support braces or arms and a pair of vertically oriented support braces or arms which operate in unison to raise and lower the lift. The trio of support braces includes a lower, middle, and upper arm and the pair of vertically oriented support braces includes a seat brace and a lift brace. The lower support brace is attached at its anterior end to the crossbar and to the plate. The posterior end of the lower support brace is attached to the bottom end of the lift brace. All attachments permit rotational movement therebetween, preferably through the use of brass bushings or the like. The middle support brace is attached at its anterior end to the support tube and at its posterior end to the lift brace at its lower end. The upper support brace is also attached to the support tube at its anterior end and to approximately the midpoint of the seat brace at its posterior end. Again, all attachments permit rotational movement therebetween. Operation of the lift assemblies permits raising and lowering of the lift through cooperative movement of the respective braces and bars which are activated when the crossbar is rotated by the extension of the push rod and rotation of the drive bars. This arrangement permits the lift to gently raise and tilt forward, thereby providing an improvement over the prior art which merely tilts forward.
The distal end of the drive bar pair further straddles a supporting brace having an anterior end and a posterior end. The anterior end of the supporting brace and the drive bar pair are not attached per se but are provided with a spacing therebetween which permits rotational movement. The posterior end of the supporting brace is attached to the motor and provides the motor with support.
The seat braces of the lift assemblies are attached to seat shelves which are adapted to overlie the frame and to support the seat. The seat braces include an anterior portion which overlies the U-shaped frame member, a middle portion upon which the seat sits, and a posterior portion which is supported by the rear brace. The seat is preferably round in configuration and has an open portion in the middle thereof. Attached to the inner portion of the seat and depending therefrom is a shield, preferably made of xe2x85x9th inch plastic. This shield is adapted to fit inside the circumference of a toilet basin when the lift is in a lowered position. The shield is also provided with a passageway through which a washing assembly can be extended. This passageway is preferably in the form of a longitudinal slot which is pre-cut into the shield.
Attachment of the shield to the seat can be done in any conventional fashion including gluing, molding, melting, and fastening.
The lift of the present invention is also provided with a washing assembly which can be projected into the confines of the shield and used to cleanse the lower extremities after use of the toilet facilities. The washing assembly comprises a flexible tube connected at one end to a plumbed water source and at an opposed end to a pipe elbow. The pipe elbow connects the flexible tube to a water pipe which is further connected to a second pipe elbow which is thereafter connected to a spray nozzle. Water flow is controlled by a conventional faucet handle which restricts the flow of water from the plumbed water source through the washing assembly. In order to provide a defined pathway for the flexible tube, a rigid conduit is provided which directs the flexible tube through the longitudinal slot of the shield. Advantageously, this combination of a flexible tube connected to a water pipe connected to a nozzle permits the water assembly to be removed from the confines of the shield when the toilet is in use, thereby avoiding soiling by the waste entering the toilet basin. When a user is done using the toilet, the faucet handle is gripped to move the washing assembly through the longitudinal slot of the shield and into the toilet basin area. When this is done, the flexible tube freely slides within the conduit, thereby moving the water pipe and attendant nozzle into a functional position. The washing assembly can then be activated by rotating the faucet handle and allowing water to pass from the plumbed water source through the flexible tube and water pipe and out the nozzle, thereby providing a cleansing wash to the body parts located above the open portion of the seat. Preferably, the washing assembly is connected to a water source which has the temperature controlled in order to prevent water which is too cold or too hot from contacting the skin of a user. In addition to permitting lateral movement of the washing assembly before, during, and after washing, the slidability of the flexible tube through the rigid conduit permits rotation of the flexible tube back and forth from the front of the lift toward the back of the lift, thereby providing water flow and cleansing in all four directions. This provides a more thorough wash than was heretofore possible using the prior art. Once washing is completed, the washing assembly can be moved away from the toilet by sliding the flexible tube away from the toilet basin and exiting through the longitudinal slot in the shield. This permits storage of the washing assembly in a stored position, away from waste entering the toilet.
A switch on the control box, located atop the seat platform, can then activated to operate an air blower. The air blower is attached to one of the frame members and includes a motor and a blower. By activating the blower, air is directed into the basin area of the toilet where it helps to dry the previously washed body parts. Once drying is completed, the control box switch is deactivated, thereby halting blower operation.
The lift can then be activated using a switch located on the control box which activates the motor, thereby extending the push rod of the actuator and shifting the lifting assemblies from a lowered position to a raised position. Once the lift has raised the seat to an acceptable level, the switch is deactivated and the person using the lift can disembark from the seat in a standing position.
By providing a lift with a shiftable washing assembly, the prior art problems of soiling the washing assembly during toilet use are avoided due to the storage of the washing assembly behind the shield and out of the basin area of the toilet. Additionally, a more thorough wash is provided due to the forward, backward, and lateral movement afforded by the present invention. Prior art problems of residual moisture on washed body parts is also avoided by the drying action of the blower. Finally, the lift can be activated to assist a person to sit down before using the toilet and to assist a person in standing after using the toilet.